Ballistic missile

ABSTRACT

A ballistic missile, particularly constructed for use as a target unit, including a fuselage, a plurality of airfoils or stabilizers and a propulsion unit, readily assembled from a relatively few interchangeable component parts, and which is subjected to disassembly of the component parts upon frontal impact. In an assembled condition, the center of gravity of the missile is disposed in advance of the center of lift, when viewed in the direction of flight.

United States Patent Beuschel Aug. 29, 1972 [54] BALLISTIC MISSILE [72] Inventor: Helmut Beuschel, Steyerberg, Germany [73] Assignee: Dynamit Nobel Aktiengesellschaft,

Troisdorf, Germany [22] Filed: Aug. 26, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 853,090

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 11, 1968 Germany ..P 17 28 214.3

52 us. c1.; ..244/3.24, 102/927 511 1m. (:1 ..F42b 5/22, F42b 9/20, F42b 13/20 [58] Field of Search ....102/49.3, 92.7; 244/3.l, 3.24; 206/45.l9, 65; 220/4 E [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,494,026 1/1950 Anderson ..244/3.24 3,181,465 5/1965 Anthony ..102/92.7

2,838,166 6/1958 1161010611 ..206/45.19 2,990,684 7/1961 Cohen ..60/255 3,117,520 1/1964 Kerr et al ..244/3.24 3,139,033 6/1964 Geissler et al. ..244/3.1 x 3,451,580 6/1969 Husby ..220/4 E FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS v 1,394,264 2/1965 France ..244/3.24

Primary Examiner-Verlin R. Pendegrass Attorney-Craig, Antonelli and Hill [57] ABSTRACT A ballistic missile, particularly constructed for use as a target unit, including a fuselage, a plurality of airfoils or stabilizers and a propulsion unit, readily assembled from a relatively few interchangeable component parts, and which is subjected to disassembly of the component parts upon frontal impact. In an assembled condition, the center of gravity of the missile is disposed in advance of the center of lift, when viewed in the direction of flight.

13 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 29, 1972 3,687,398

- 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

INVENTOR ,Hgi I HELMUT BEUSCHEL FIG. 3 BY M M W MQ/ ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 29, 1972 3 Shoots-Shut 2 Patented Aug. 29, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 BALLISTIC MISSILE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For purposes of target practice on flying objects, target representation units are required which serve to represent flying targets. Conventionally, mock-ups or dummies are towed behind airplanes for this purpose; such an arrangement, however, is not free from the danger of the towing plane being fired at, instead of the target. It is also conventional to arrange target representation units upon a cable, in the manner of the individual cars of a cable railway. This provides only a very crude simulation of actual combat conditions, however, since the targets can only be moved at a relatively low altitude. While the most realistic simulation can be achieved by the use of remote-controlled airplanes as flying targets, this solution is extremely expensive, since the remote control mechanism will almost certainly be damaged or completely destroyed during the course of the target exercises.

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a missile which can be simply and inexpensively manufactured and which is not completely destroyed or irretn'evably damaged in crash landings.

Further, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a missile of the type mentioned above which can be propelled by a relatively inexpensive propulsion unit.

Additionally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a device of the type mentioned above which does not require a specially-designed stabilizing component.

It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a missile of the type mentioned above which can be readily assembled from relatively few interchangeable component parts which, when subjected to frontal impact, tend to readily disassemble.

Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a missile of the type described above, including a fuselage and a plurality of airfoils assembled from a relatively few identical interchangeable component parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned objectives are accomplished, in

accordance with the present invention, by providing a missile assembled from a plurality of component parts, which are so constructed as to become detached from one another upon relative displacement between the various components. The missile contemplated by the present invention thus tends to disintegrate into its component parts upon impact, thereby substantially restricting the resulting damage, particularly when compared to other conventional powered target missiles. Further, the novel design of the missile contemplated by the present invention facilitates the use of interchangeable component parts. Thus, if a particular component becomes unusable, either as a result of being hit by ammunition or of a crash landing, the particular component can be replaced by a corresponding, interchangeable part. According to the present invention, the number of different component parts required for assembly of the missile has been minimized, thus minimizing the number of replacement parts required to be kept in supply.

The missile, in accordance with the present invention, can be equipped with a propulsion unit, for example, a solid-propellant rocket engine, a liquid-propellant rocket engine, a ramjet engine, a propeller engine, or the like, and the missile can be launched from a simple slide track. This track can easily be moved from one place to another, so that the use of the missiles need not be restricted to a particular site. This is a particularly advantageous feature of the present invention as can be appreciated, for example, when the missile is employed as a target representation unit, it is easily possible to arrangement provides the significant advantage of automatically causing the stabilizing surfaces to detach themselves from the fuselage upon frontal impact, due to the inertia of the stabilizing surfaces.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the missile may be composed of a number of, preferably three, mutually identical, integral component elements, each of which includes a stabilizing surface or airfoil and a portion of the fuselage. With the exception of the propulsion unit required, for example, a rocket engine, the entire missile can thus be produced by the inter-connection of a plurality of identical elements. Thus, during target practice maneuvers, a supply of a single type of structural element is sufficient to efi'ect replacement of the damaged portions of the missile so that the missiles can be re-used. It should further be noted that the replacement of parts can be effected simply, in a relatively brief period of time, without the use of tools, thus minimizing delays caused by defective target representation units during target practice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 4 represents a shipping container for accom modating the individual parts of a missile, the container being illustrated in an open condition;

FIG. 5 represents the shipping container of FIG. 4, in the closed condition;

FIG. 6 represents one element of a second embodiment of a missile constructed in accordance with the present invention, composed of three identical structural members;

FIG. 7 represents a section along line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 represents a section along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 represents a bottom view of the structural element illustrated in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 10 represents an end view of the entire missile.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The missile illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 includes a fuselage member 1 and airfoils or stabilizing surfaces 2, attached thereto. The fuselage member 1 is provided with a detachable nose section 5. A rocket engine 3, disposed within a cylindrical bore provided in the tail section of the fuselage member 1, is provided for propelling the missile. The center of gravity of the missile is denoted by 4 and is disposed in advance of the center of lift 6, as viewed in the direction of flight. This feature serves, in a conventional manner, for affording optimum inflight stabilization.

In the exploded view of FIG. 2, the fuselage member 1 can be seen to include a plurality of openings or recesses 8 into which the stabilizing surfaces or control fins 2 are inserted by means of their three fastening hooks 7. It should be noted that the stabilizing surfaces 2 include fastening hooks 7 which are inserted within recesses 8 from the front toward the rear.

The rocket propulsion unit 3 is inserted from the rear in the opening provided in the tail section of the fuselage member 1. The nose section 5 of the fuselage member 1 is inserted from the front toward the rear in an opening provided at the front end of the fuselage member 1; the nose section 5 is designed to telescope within the forward edge of the fuselage member 1 up to the shoulder 10. Since the missile executes a ballistic trajectory, the fuselage nose section 5 is always the first point to impact on the ground. In order to gently cushion the landing impact, the nose section preferably consists of an elastic material, for example, rubber, foam rubber, plastic foam or a like material. The impact upon landing nevertheless still causes the three stabilizing surfaces 2 to slide forward relative to the fuselage l and to slide out of their engagement along the inclined forward edge 9 of the hook-shaped fastening elements 7, thus detaching themselves from the fuselage member 1. This aspect of the present invention effectively avoids extensive damage to the missile upon crash landing. The elastic fuselage nose section 5 can also become separated from the main portion of the fuselage member 1 when subjected to a lateral stress.

The stabilizing surfaces 2 can be constructed either as hollow bodies or as solid bodies, depending upon the material from which they are fabricated. However, it is also possible (as illustrated) for the surfaces to be open on the side thereof 11 facing the fuselage member 1.

The configuration of the missile illustrated in FIGS. 13 is particularly advantageous with regard to packaging and transporting the missiles, for the stabilizing surfaces 2 can be packaged, by virtue of their substantially triangular configuration, in a space-saving manner and in correspondingly large numbers, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The insertion of the stabilizing surfaces 2 with their hook-shaped fastening elements 7 into an intermediate base 12 of the container serves to avoid contact between the various surfaces 2 during shipping in the container. The attachment of the fastening elements 7 within the recesses 13 formed in the base 12 of the container is similar to the engagement of the elements 7 within the recesses 8 of the fuselage member 1 of the missile.

The container is composed of two identical components 15, 16, each having a diagonally-sloping front end 17. The base 12 extends laterally beyond the base of the end walls 17 along the edge 14. When assembling the two container parts 15, 16, the rear wall 18 of each portion of the container rests on the projecting edge 14 of the base 12. Since the stabilizing surfaces 2 can only be removed from the recesses 13 of the intermediate base 12 when they are pulled in the direction of the projecting edge 14, it is impossible for the surfaces to become detached when the container is closed, since in this position, the rear wall 18 of the respective lid prevents any displacement of the stabilizing surfaces or fins. Thus accommodated, both container parts 15, 16 can be constructed in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4, thereby affording a particularly advantageous utilization of space. The fuselage members 1 can also be shipped within the same containers since the attaching elements 7 do not protrude from the fuselage members 1, thereby precluding damage of the fuselage members 1 from contact with one another.

The missile according to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6-10 consists of three separate component parts 20, identical to one another, each composed of a portion of the fuselage 21 and the control fin or stabilizing surface 22. One of the parts 20 is illustrated, in a lateral view, in FIG. 6. From FIG. 6, it can be seen that a dovetail-shaped groove 23 extends along the length of the entire fuselage; a corresponding, similarly dovetail-shaped tongue 26 of an adjacent identical element 20 is inserted within the groove 23. The three elements abut one another along the longitudinal central axis in the nose portion of the missile, with the radially inwardly-extending webs 24, whereas they are supported, in the central and rear portions of the missile only by means of the tongue and groove joint 23, 26. In this region, the tubular opening 30 is formed by the assembled missile, in which opening 30 a rocket propulsion unit can be inserted.

As can be seen from FIG. 8, shorter, inwardly-extending web portions 25 can be provided in the central section of the fuselage, which webs serve for retaining the propulsion unit in an appropriate manner. Since the tongue and groove connections provided at the fuselage 21 and denoted by 23, 26 are of dovetail configuration, the assembly of the missile, or the disassembly of the individual parts 20, can only be effected by displacing the parts relative to one another in the longitudinal direction. The individual parts 20 of the missile can be formed integrally from a synthetic resin, for example, polystyrene. If a synthetic resin of this type is employed, the control fins or stabilizing surfaces 22 may be constructed as solid members, since the weight factor becomes less critical.

While the present invention has been described hereinabove with reference to the specific structural details of but two embodiments, it is to be clearly understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific details, but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as would be apparent to one with normal skill in the pertinent technology.

What is claimed is:

1. A ballistic missile comprising fuselage means and stabilizing means, which means consist of a plurality of separately constructed structural components readilydetachable from one another by axial displacement upon termination of the flight of said missile by impact forces.

2. A ballistic missile according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of structural component parts includes a fuselage member and at least two stabilizing surfaces, said stabilizing surfaces being provided with hook means adapted to engage within corresponding recesses provided in said fuselage member.

3. A ballistic missile according to claim 2, wherein said hook means have an opening which, when engaged within said recesses in said fuselage member, extends in the rearward direction of said missile, when viewed in the direction of flight, whereby said stabilizing surfaces are readily detached from said fuselage member by their inertial force when said missile is subjected to an impact force having a frontal component.

4. A ballistic missile according to claim 3, wherein said hook means include inclined leading edges.

5. A ballistic missile according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of structural component parts further includes a nose section detachably secured within the forward end of said fuselage member, said nose section being secured so as to be detached when said missile is subjected to an impact force having a lateral component.

6. A ballistic missile comprising fuselage means and stabilizing means, which means consist of at least three mutually-identical, integral members each including at least one of said stabilizing means and a portion of said fuselage means, said members being readily detachable from one another by axial displacement upon termination of the flight of said missile by impact forces.

7. A ballistic missile according to claim 6, further comprising means inter-connecting said members, including tongue-and-groove joints extending in the longitudinal direction of said missile.

8. A ballistic missile according to claim 5, further comprising propulsion means disposed within an opening provided in the rear end of said fuselage member.

9. A ballistic missile according to claim 7, further comprising propulsion means disposed within an opening provided in the rear end of said fuselage means.

10. A ballistic missile according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of structural component parts are fabricated from a synthetic resin.

11. A ballistic missile according to claim 9, wherein said plurality of structural component parts are fabricated from a synthetic resin.

12. A ballistic missile according to claim 1 further having a center of gravity located in advance of its center of lift.

13. A ballistic missile according to claim 6 further having a center of gravity located in advance of its center of lift. 

1. A ballistic missile comprising fuselage means and stabilizing means, which means consist of a plurality of separately constructed structural components readily-detachable from one another by axial displacement upon termination of the flight of said missile by impact forces.
 2. A ballistic missile according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of structural component parts includes a fuselage member and at least two stabilizing surfaces, said stabilizing surfaces being provided with hook means adapted to engage within corresponding recesses provided in said fuselage member.
 3. A ballistic missile according to claim 2, wherein said hook means have an opening which, when engaged within said recesses in said fuselage member, extends in the rearward direction of said missile, when viewed in the direction of flight, whereby said stabilizing surfaces are readily detached from said fuselage member by their inertial force when said missile is subjected to an impact force having a frontal component.
 4. A ballistic missile according to claim 3, wherein said hook means include inclined leading edges.
 5. A ballistic missile according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of structural component parts further includes a nose section detachably secured within the forward end of said fuselage member, said nose section being secured so as to be detached when said missile is subjected to an impact force having a lateral component.
 6. A ballistic missile comprising fuselage means and stabilizing means, which means consist of at least three mutually-identical, integral members each including at least one of said stabilizing means and a portion of said fuselage means, said members being readily detachable from one another by axial displacement upon termination of the flight of said missile by impact forces.
 7. A ballistic missile according to claim 6, further comprising means inter-connecting said members, including tongue-and-groove joints extending in the longitudinal direction of said missile.
 8. A ballistic missile according to claim 5, further comprising propulsion means disposed within an opening provided in the rear end of said fuselage member.
 9. A ballistic missile according to claim 7, further comprising propulsion means disposed within an opening provided in the rear end of said fuselage means.
 10. A ballistic missile according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of structural component parts are fabricated from a synthetic resin.
 11. A ballistic missile according to claim 9, wherein said plurality of structural component parts are fabricated from a synthetic resin.
 12. A ballistic missile according to claim 1 further having a center of gravity located in advance of its center of lift.
 13. A ballistic missile according to claim 6 further having a center of gravity located in advance of its center of lift. 